Fabulous Frankfurt

Last Friday we zoomed down the A3 in order to vote at the Australian Consulate in Frankfurt. On the 28th floor of one of the many skyscrapers in Frankfurt (the financial capital of Germany), we voted for the Australian federal election. Of the 9000 Aussies currently living in Germany, 248 had already voted in Frankfurt on that day (we were there at 10am). Hubertus had a leisurely chat to the heavily accented Aussie on duty that day... and discovered that the Climate Skeptics gave the majority of their preferences to Family First...huh!

After our important duties were completed we spent a leisurely day discovering the fabulous city of Frankfurt. At a small-ish church called Paulskirche in 1848, the first freely elected Parliament gathered - but rather disappointingly they voted for a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary monarch. However, the Prussian king at the time wisely declined the offer - knowing serious revolt might follow, as had happened across the border in France. An eye-catching circular piece of art now summarises the controversy at the time with men in suits trampling over naked breast-feeding working class women or farmers ploughing their fields ie they were not really representative.

With such historical roots, it's a wonder that Bonn was ever the Capital whilst Berlin was split post WWII... I found out later it had something to do with being in the British zone of occupation.

Frankfurt is the birthplace of arguably one of the most famous German poets, Goethe. At the time Frankfurt was a free city within the Holy Roman Empire (1749)! Goethe wrote about almost everything; love stories, crime, plant morphology and the theory of colours. He was also an inspiration to another famous German author called Schiller. By some bizarre stoke of luck we stumbled across his birthplace two days later, as we pulled off the autobahn for a cup of coffee and ended up at a cafe directly opposite his parent's house in Marbach.

Frankfurt is of course famous for its bankers which is perhaps why there are so many extravagant shopping precincts. Several jewellers we passed had items in their shop windows worth more than most German apartments, which is why they also had armed guards in black-tie on the pavement next to us!

Window shopping is fun and affordable - the girl's favourite item was a toilet seat with a picture on the lid depicting a young child being flushed down the bowl! Hubertus explored yet another Apple Store and I was quite taken with the design shops and art galleries.

We definitely need to head back to Frankfurt for its Weihnachtmarkts!!